Noting that good reading comprehension is aided by the reader's attention to text organization, this paper presents a rationale and method for teaching students to map content materials. The paper begins by noting research demonstrating that good comprehenders attend to text organization. It then briefly reviews research related to the impact on comprehension of teaching content mapping strategies to students from the middle grades through college. Finally, the paper presents a method and sequence for teaching students to map content materials, and provides frameworks and examples for mapping passages with some common organizational patterns. (HTH)

Note: Paper based on a workshop presented by M. K. Gillis and Bonnie Longnion at the Annual Meeting of the Texas State Council of the International Reading Association (13th, Dallas, TX, March 14-16, 1985).